What Rating Can You Reach in Chess If You Start in Your 20s?
- Mandate Media
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Starting chess in your 20s? You’re in good company—and may still reach a strong club level. You may have found that people are hesitant to answer the question, or they have told you not to worry about rating. If you're anything like me, this isn't enough - I like to have a goal in mind for the long term, taking years of practice and study into account.
When I first started playing chess, I found it difficult to get a clear answer. It's true that there isn't a rating that you can definitely reach, some people will never reach 1000 and some people will massively exceed expectations, there is a lot of room for natural ability, natural pattern recognition abilities etc. However, I am still going to give you a clear answer of what you could potentially strive towards realistically, based on first-hand accounts of people who started as adults and made real progress.
Online forums report adult beginners hitting 1800–2000 within a few years if committed, with some even surpassing 2000 or 2200 given talent and discipline.
The Perpetual Chess Podcast, hosted by Ben Johnson, features an 'adult improver' series which is filled with people who picked up chess as adults, often after the Queens Gambit came out, and have been able to find themselves rated around 1800-2000.
The statistics suggest a few attainable milestones to keep in mind: for a dedicated 20‑something, reaching 1800–2000 Elo is realistic but this does require a lot of study. A child may have a much easier road to this level, and if you are starting in your 20's, with exceptional dedication, 2200+ is possible though rare. Typical adult improvers level off between 1400–2000 and even still, even the lower end of this rating range can take considerable practice.
The formula for reaching these levels of around 2000 are not simple but they include consistent practice, study, tactics, and coaching once you steadily move up. Some achieve this goal without coaches, but they can be a real cheat-sheet to improving your rating.
Starting in your 20s means you may improve more slowly than a child, but you can still reach solid amateur or candidate-master levels with effort. Personally, I didn't learn how the pieces moved until I was 22 and I would like to be an ECF club/county master - around the 1800/2000 range, I am currently rated 1450 after 3 years, and I have (annoyingly) noted many people who have achieved 1700 and 1800 in slightly less time. That being said, I have also beaten players who are rated up to 2000 in rapid games, and I feel that the sky is the limit.
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